Posted by ISAAC ANUMIHE, Abuja. on
Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, it has gone through a chequered history of controversial censuses beginning from 1963 through 1983 to 1991. All these censuses were marred with inaccuracies and incorrectness.
Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, it has gone through a chequered history of controversial censuses beginning from 1963 through 1983 to 1991. All these censuses were marred with inaccuracies and incorrectness.
Nigeria, as a member and signatory to the Commonwealth convention was supposed to have conducted a census every 10 years, but following the controversy that usually trails each census, several governments have shied away from it.
So, Nigeria avoided the scheme in 1973 and 2003.
This year's census tagged 2006 Population and Housing Census would have been conducted last year but owing to some vital documents which did not arrive the country as at that time and some logistics problems observed in the trial census, the exercise was shifted from December to March this year.
Even the extension of time was not able to answer some vital questions in the ongoing census.
In fact, the issue of religion and tribe, which are the vital questions missing in this census questionnaire have really threatened to scuttle the census to the extent that Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) told its members to refuse to be counted, arguing that the population of Christians in Nigeria is well over 60 per cent so it is too big to neglected in the scheme of things. Also, the Igbo in the Eastern part of Nigeria threatened to boycott the exercise, because, according to them, they have an indubitable large number which should not be swept under the carpet.
But the government has equally argued that enumeration is basically to know the number of the population of certain individuals in a locality and Nigeria as a whole to enable it plan accurately for the provisions of water, schools, hospitals and other amenities. According to the government, it is not basically about tribe and religion.
Against the backdrop of this controversy and the unresolved issues of Niger Delta restiveness, Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra's (MASSOB) incandescence in the East and the Oodua Peoples' Congress (OPC) disturbance in the West, the exercise still went on.
Again, 24 hours to the take-off of the exercise, there was the issue of delay in payment of allowances for both supervisors and enumerators leading to demonstrations and absconding of over 400 enumerators with enumeration materials and absence of some supervisors.
The Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Samu'ila Danko Makama, explained away this complaint, saying that the honorarium to be paid to all categories of enumerators have been fixed and was indicated in the letters of appointment issued to the enumerators. He argued that if the enumerators accepted the offer of appointment, it also means that the honorarium was also acceptable to them. "It is, therefore, wrong to complain about low remuneration.
The honorarium was fixed in conjunction with our development partners based on the resources available", he said.
Speaking on the delay in payment, he said that the enumerators were engaged on the principle of pay after work to ensure that the workers do not disappear after getting the allowances. "The payment is in two stages. The first stage of payment is the payment of training allowance which is N5,200 for supervisors and enumerators, while the second stage is payment for field work which is N12,000 and N9,000 for supervisors and enumerators respectively.
According to Makama, payment is not made directly by the commission but by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through a consortium of banks. "It is not paid directly by the commission. Like every financial transaction, clearance would have to be made both at the levels of the commission and the UNDP", he said, admitting that in view of the large number of persons involved, some delays and inconveniences were not unexpected.
On March 22, after the census had taken off fully, the issue of payment of allowances had not been sorted out in some states like Adamawa, Lagos, Ebonyi, Anambra, Kebbi, Jigawa and Edo. Besides shortages of materials like NPC 07, issues like aprons, T-shirts were not resolved on the second, third and fourth days.
Household listing and house-numbering were not concluded on the second and third days in Katsina, Lagos, Ebonyi, Ondo, Anambra, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano, Benue and Edo.
While enumeration went on well on March 23, in some states of the federation, it was not smooth in Imo where MASSOB threatened the exercise in Onuimo, Orsu, Ohaji Egbema, Aboh Mbaise, Ngor Okpala, Ezinihitte, Owerri North and Nwangele.
It was also reported that two enumerators were bathed with acid in Onitsha, Anambra State and one of them died. MASSOB also abducted two supervisors in Abia State on the eve of the exercise.
Even after the extension by two days, many Nigerians were not yet counted.
For instance, in Jikwoyi, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Celestine Orji (Okada rider) told Daily Sun that he was tired of staying at home as no enumerator was in sight. Miss Helen Golu in the Nyanya area of FCT also complained to Daily Sun that their house had not been listed for counting not to talk of enumeration of people.
In Gbakrakpe Village in the FCT, frustrated people almost mobbed Daily Sun reporter dressed in census cap and apron, accusing him of keeping them indoors and frustrated.
Similar visits to National Hospital, Wuse Hospital and Asokoro Hospital tell the same stories of absence of enumerators as patients, nurses and doctors testify that the enumerators were not present.
The National Hospital Public Relations Officer, Mr Sadiq, told Daily Sun that the enumerators only enumerated the house but no actual head count had been made.
At the end of the exercise, the census boss scored himself 100 per cent with many Nigerians still complaining of not being counted. When will this be addressed? Only time can tell.